First Blood! No, this is not a review of the 1982 action flick with Sylvester Stallone (although John J. Rambo was the man!). This is the first at-home dad experience I had when my son did a face plant and drew first blood. I know we always hear “you can’t turn around for even a second” once your child is mobile. Well, I did not turn around, but it happened anyway.
My son was rocking back and fourth on all fours in the crawl position. He went to reach for a toy, lost his balance, and face planted into the hard wood floor. It was not a far fall. I saw it it happen right in front of me and heard the “knock” sound as he hit the floor. I picked him up like I always do when he takes a hard fall. Then, you get that “pain” cry – the one where my son shrieks for a second … pauses … 1…2…3… as he sucks in air … then, let’s out that ear piercing scream. Normally, he is calm in a few seconds and we move on. Not this time!
As I looked at his face, he had blood coming out of his mouth. I remained calm, but quickly realized that this would not be something the “Boo boo bunny” or “icy bites” could solve. I think it would have been easier on me if he cut his arm or leg, but coming from the mouth did not sit well with me. I called the doctor’s office, explained what happened, grabbed a paper towel with some ice, and flew out the door to get there.
Jake was still bleeding by his top teeth when I arrived at the doctor’s. After being in the waiting room for five minutes and watching other patients get called in, I got a bit testy with the nurse at the desk. “Don’t they care that my little guy is bleeding!” Another ten minutes pass, and we get called into the patient room.
Finally, the doctor comes in 15 minutes later (that is 30 minutes since we entered so I am livid at this point). Fortunately, my son is a cool cat and was acting like it’s business as usual. His dad was not as “cool.” Upon inspection, Jake had split his top gum when he fell down. The doctor explained that this minor injury is quite common, did not seem concerned (relief!). She also said I should be prepared for much worse now that he is more mobile. She explained that his cut is similar to an adult biting their tongue or scraping the inside of their cheek. It may cause a little discomfort, but you will certainly live.
To be honest, I almost got the feeling that the doctor was surprised that I actually came into the office for this “first blood” event. I know – I probably overreacted. Don’t all first time parents?
Any good “first blood” experiences to share?
Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash
eleothegreat says
I saw this blog because I was searching for advice. My nine month old baby girl just had her first blood experience thirty minutes ago. She was trying to stand by holding on to her plastic toy crate when she lost balance and fell mouth first on the crate’s edge. The edge wasn’t sharp, though. She was crying and when I saw her mouth there was blood all over. It’s 12:00 + here so I couldn’t call her pediatrician. I dabbed some First Aid Gel (its organic and safe to swallow in small amounts, and can cure anything – even recommended for teething woes.) on her two front teeth, gave her some water and she stopped crying.
But of course, I was mortified! True. A cut/scrape on the hand or knee would have been better to deal with. I didn’t freak out that much though since a two weeks ago, I saw my uncle post a photo of his baby’s first blood (well, he took a photo of some drops of blood on the floor), which made me think that the thing commonly happens.
But that’s basically it. I was scared to death. I wonder if I should give her some paracetamol for the pain. huhu.